Apparatus for automatically erecting and loading cartons

ABSTRACT

A machine for accepting a continuous stream of items for loading into cartons transfers such items individually to a rotating assembler wheel, which assembles the items into a plurality of groups each having a predetermined number of such items, and then deposits each of the groups into one of a plurality of holding compartments. Cartons are partially erected and then fed in a continuous stream from a magazine to a register wheel which accepts the cartons individually in a plurality of cartongripping sections and intermittently rotates the cartons through a carton-filling position, at which the cartons open downwardly, and a carton-ejecting position, at which the cartons are ejected onto a staging platform. The holding compartments are rotated on a horizontal turntable from a loading position, at which the items are received from the assembler wheel, to an unloading position, at which they are unloaded from the holding compartments into the cartons supported at the carton-filling position. The entire process is carried out automatically.

[ Dec. 17, 1974 Primary ExaminerRobert L. Spruill Attorney, Agent, orFirmWood, Herron & Evans [57] ABSTRACT A machine for accepting acontinuous stream of items for loading into cartons transfers such itemsindividually to a rotating assembler wheel, which assembles the itemsinto a plurality of groups each having a predetermined number of suchitems, and then deposits each of the groups into one of a plurality ofholding compartments. Cartons are partially erected and then fed in acontinuous stream from a magazine to a register wheel which accepts thecartons individually in a plurality of carton-gripping sections andintermittently rotates the cartons through a carton-filling position, atwhich the cartons open downwardly, and a cartonejecting position, atwhich the cartons are ejected onto a staging platform. The holdingcompartments are rotated on a horizontal turntable from a loadingposition, at which the items are received from the assembler wheelWilmette; Donn 53/126, 53/243, 53/252, 53/253 B65b 5/06, B65b 35/50 242,243, 252, 253

ERECTING AND LOADING CARTONS [75] Inventors: Charles E. Cloud,

Allan Hartman, Zion, both of Ill.

Cloud Machine Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Aug. 20, 1973 Int. Field of Search 53/126, 159 53/250, 251

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS United States Patent [191 Cloudet al.

[ I APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY [73] Assignee:

[22] Filed:

[2l] Appl. No.: 389,804

to an unloading position, at which they are unloaded from the holdingcompartments into the cartons supported at the carton-filling position.The entire process is carried out automatically.

17 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures XXX 639 255 l l l// 333 555 SHEET 10F 7PATENIEQ SEC] 7 I974 PATENTEL SEC 1 H974 SHEET 2 OF 7 Mm QQ\ QM Q S\ .1nfi w? m Nw I A S 3 fl G ww \w Avg m W? R m PATENIEL SEC 1 71974 SHEET 3OF 7 PATENTEQ, SEC] 71974 SHEET t 0F 7 PATENTEL- ULC 1 7 I974 SHEET 8 OF7 PATENTEB DEC] 7 I974 SHEET 7 BF 7 APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ERECTINGAND LOADING CARTONS BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention relates to a method and apparatus for erecting and loadingcartons, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus adapted forloading cartons with a predetermined number of items, such items beingarranged in one or more orderly stacks within such cartons. 2. The PriorArt The process of manually assembling a predetermined number ofrelatively small items, such as individual packets of sugar, or thelike, and loading the same into a carton is a relatively difficult andtime-consuming task requiring the expenditure of a relatively largeamount of time per carton. It is desirable to minimize the operator timerequired to load such cartons, and it is also desirable to provide asystem for packing a predetermined number of items into a carton withincreased speed and precision. Using conventional machines, whichproduce packets at approximately 200 per minute, five operators arerequired to manually load packets into cartons.

Another disadvantage of the manual process of load ing cartons withrelatively small items is that a larger than necessary carton must beused to allow the items to be arranged in a somewhat random orhelter-skelter manner within the carton. It is therefore desirable toprovide a system for stacking such items neatly within the cartons so asto require the minimum size carton for a given number of items.

Various attempts to mechanize the process of loading relatively smallitems into cartons have been made, but such attempts have not met withsuccess, for a variety of reasons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principle object of the presentinvention to provide a fully automatic machine for assembling andloading a predetermined number of relatively small items into cartonsprovided therefor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method andapparatus for loading cartons with a plurality of relatively small flatitems, insuring an orderly arrangement of the items within the cartons.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine forloading cartons with a predetermined number of items, such machinerequiring relatively little floor space and being capable of relativelyhigh operating speeds.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome manifest upon an examination of the following description and theaccompanying drawings.

' In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided anassembler wheel adapted to cooperate with a continuous stream ofrelatively small items, and having a plurality of peripheralcompartments each adapted to receive a predetermined number of suchitems, means for transferring the items from said peripheralcompartments into a plurality of holding compartments, carton-grippingmeans for supporting and manipulating said cartons, means for movingsaid holding compartment from alignment with said assembler wheel intoalignment with empty downwardly opening cartons, means for filling saidcartons by raising said predetermined items into the interior thereoffrom said holding compartments, means for rotating said carton into anupwardly opening position; and means for ejecting said cartons from saidcarton-gripping means.

Using the machine of the present invention, packets are produced at therate of 600 per minute, and only one operator is required for each twomachines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference will now be made to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus incorporating an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a register wheel adapted to support cartons;

FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view of a portion of the apparatus shown inFIGS. 1 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in FIGS.3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a turntable adapted for carrying a plurality ofholding compartments;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating one of saidholding compartments;

FIG. 8 is a side-elevational view of a detail of the register wheel ofFIGS. 3-5;

FIG. 9 is a side-elevational view, partly in crosssection, showingdetails of the driving apparatus used in the apparatus of FIGS. l-8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating certain features of thedrive arrangement of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a side-elevational view of a vibrator assembly incorporatedwith the apparatus of FIG. I. 7

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a machine incorporating an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention, in which items comprisingrelatively small flat packets 41 containing sugar or the like are loadedinto a fiberboard carton in two parallel stacks. Each carton is of thetubular type having interlocked flaps at the bottom which are adapted toautomatically form an interlocked, closed bottom when the carton iserected. A hopper 12 contains a supply of carton blanks 14, which areadapted to be fed from the bottom thereof, individually, onto aninclined plane 16, and in the process are partially erected intopartially erected cartons 18.

The partially erected cartons l8 slide down the inclined plane 16 untilthey reach the upper surface of a horizontal conveyor 20, by which theyare conveyed in a horizontal direction until they come into proximitywith a carton-holding register wheel 22. At that point, a carton 18 isgripped by being wedged into position within a carton-gripping sectionof the wheel 22, and thereafter is rotated into carton-filling positionat a filling station 24, and subsequently into a carton-ejectingposition at an ejection station 25 located diametrically opposite fromthe filling station 24. As the wheel 22 rotates the partially erectedcarton 18 to the filling station 24, the carton becomes a fully erectedcarton 19.

The erected carton 19, when in position at the filling station 24, hasits opening oriented in a downward direction, so that items may beinserted thereinto by moving the same upwardly through the opening. Theitems are stored in a holding compartment 26 supported on a turntable 28adapted to be rotated about a vertical axis. The compartment 26comprises, in general, a vertical sleeve for maintaining the items in anordered vertical stack, so that they may be pushed upwardly through thesleeve into place within the carton 19.

After the items have thus been loaded into the carton 19, the registerwheel 22 is rotated, until the carton 19 is at the carton-ejectingstation 25. At this station, a plunger 30, operated by a cylinder 32, isactuated to force the carton 19, now loaded with a predetermined numberof items, in a horizontal direction away from the wheel 22 and onto thesurface of a staging platform 34. When a plurality of cartons 19 havethus been ejected onto the staging platform 34, the entire group of suchcartons are moved in a transverse direction off of the platform 34 bymeans of a plunger 36 actuated by a cylinder 38, thus providing space onthe platform 34 to receive additional cartons 19 from the wheel 22. Aplatform 40 is adapted to support the cartons pushed away from theplatform 34 by the plunger 36, until they are removed manually, afterwhich the tops of the cartons are manually closed and the cartons areloaded into a container for shipping, storage, or the like.

The individual packets 41 arrive from a filling machine (not shown) on agenerally horizontal conveyor 42. The end of the conveyor 42 isjuxtaposed with an end of an inclined conveyor 44, and the packets 41are transferred from the conveyor 42 to the conveyor 44, after whichthey are carried in a direction which is generally perpendicular to thedirection of travel of the belt 42. The packets 41 are carried by theconveyor 44 until they reach the vicinity of a transfer wheel 46 mountedfor rotation about a horizontal axis and having a plurality ofindividual compartments defined by notches separated by projections 47extending in a generally tangential direction with respect to the wheel46, such notches being adapted to receive individual packets 41. Thewheel 46 is rotated in synchronism with the rate of arrival of thepackets 41 on the conveyor 44, so that each compartment of the transferwheel 46 is occupied by a packet. These packets are transferred to anassembler wheel 48, rotatable about a horizontal axis, having aplurality of radially extending fingers So for defining peripheralcompartments therebetween, each of which is adapted to receive apredetermined number of packets from the transfer wheel 46.

The drive of the assembler wheel 48, which is rotatable about ahorizontal axis, is intermittent, so that the fingers 50 do notinterfere with the transfer of packets from the transfer wheel 46 to theassembler wheel 48. As the fingers 50 approach the transfer wheel 46,the rotation of the assembler wheel 48 is accelerated, so that no packetstrikes one of the fingers 50.

A stripping assembly 52 is juxtaposed with the assembler wheel 48, andas the assembler wheel 48 is rotated, the packets are withdrawn from theperipheral compartments thereof and placed into a vertical stack withinthe stripping assembly 52. A plunger assembly incorporating a plunger54, is adapted to form a floor under the packets 41 within the strippingassembly 52, which floor is gradually lowered as the assembler wheel 48is rotated, to gently lower the stack of packets into position within aholding compartment 26, located directly under the stripping assembly52.

After a stack of packets is loaded into a compartment 26, the turntable28 rapidly indexes, bringing an empty holding compartment 26 intoposition beneath the stripping assembly 52, and eventually bringing theloaded holding compartment 26 into unloading position at thecarton-filling station 24, at which the content of the holdingcompartment 26 is transferred to a carton supported on thecarton-gripping register wheel Referring now to FIG. 2, the hopper 12for storing a plurality of carton blanks 14 is illustrated. A suctioncup member 56 including a suction cup connected to a low pressure line(not shown) is adapted for rotation about a horizontal shaft 57 into aposition which engages the lower surface of a side panel of one of thecarton blanks l4, and when the suction cup member 56 returns to theposition illustrated in FIG. 1, that portion of the carton blank iscarried by the suction cup 60 into a generally vertical position,thereby partially erecting the carton blank. Then the connection to thelow pressure line is released from the suction cup 60, and the end ofthe carton blank 14 adjacent the suction cup 60 falls downwardly, and asit does so the blank twists in a generally counterclockwise direction,with the forward (left-hand) end of the carton blank striking theinclined plane 16. A projection 62 extends into the space above theinclined plane 16 underneath 62 extends into the space above theinclined plane 16 underneath the right-hand edge of the carton blank 14,to assist in rotating the blank in a counterclockwise direction as itfalls.

The suction cup member 56 is rotated by an actuating rod 55 which isconnected to a piston within a cylinder 59, mounted on the frame of themachine. The carton blanks 14 normally rests on a pair of rods 53,supported by the frame of the machine, but as the lefthand end of ablank 14 is pulled downwardly by the suction cup 60, the blank issnapped downwardly first past the left-hand rod 53, and then theright-hand edge is pulled from the right-hand rod 53, and the blankbecomes partially erected by the action of the suction cup member 56 inrotating a side panel of the blank into vertical alignment. Theright-hand edge of the blank rests on a curved surface 61, secured tothe frame of the machine, which supports it until the suction cup 60 isreleased.

The action of the suction cup 60, and the clockwise rotation of thecarton blank prior to the lower part of it striking the inclined plane16, results in the carton blanks being partially erected into thepartially erected form 18. The partially erected cartons slidedownwardly on the inclined plane 16 until they reach the upper surfaceof the conveyor 20, incorporating a conveyor belt 66 disposed in agenerally horizontal reach just below the lower end of the inclinedplane 16. The belt 66 is supported on a pair of pulleys 68 and 70, andthe pulley 68 is driven by means of a chain 72 which is in engagementwith a sprocket 74 driven by a drive train (not shown) and a sprocket 76mounted on the same shaft as the pulley 68.,

The horizontal reach of the belt 66 carries the cartons, in partiallyerected form generally horizontally until they become juxtaposed withthe register wheel 22. A front view of the wheel 22 is illustrated inFIG. 3. The right-hand portion of the wheel 22 is the portion whichreceives a carton from the conveyor 20 after which such carton isrotated clockwise downwardly into carton-filling position, and thenupwardly into carton-ejection position at the top of the wheel 22. The

wheel 22 is divided into four quadrants, each of which has acarton-gripping section for gripping a carton, and rotation of the wheel22 carries each carton through four different positions as the wheelrotates. The carton-gripping section at the right-hand side of the wheel22 is defined by seven horizontally extending tabs. Three tabs 77-79 arelocated above the carton and three tabs 80-82 are located below thecarton. A seventh tab 83 extends outwardly from the wheel 22 at alocation adjacent the closed end of the carton to limit any tendency ofthe carton to travel inwardly relative to the wheel 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, a partially erected carton 18 enters the spacebetween the tabs 79 and 82 in a manner such that the upper forward edgeof the carton 18 leads the remainder. The vertical cross-section of thecarton 18 is at this time not a rectangle but a parallellogram asillustrated in FIG. 2. This enables the carton 18 easily to enter intothe space between the tabs 79 and 82.

The pulley 70 is located adjacent to the tab 82, so that as the carton18 enters the carton-gripping section between the tabs 79, 82 and 83, itis able to move downwardly relative to the horizontal reach of the belt66. The lower rear edge of the carton 18 remains in contact with thebelt 66, however, when the carton 18 has reached the positionillustrated in FIG. 2. Thereafter, when the wheel 22 is rotated in adirection so as to carry the carton l8 downwardly past the pulley 70,the pulley 70 operates to push the lower rear edge of the carton 18fully into position relative to the tab 82, so as to fully erect thecarton into an erected carton 19.

The wheel 22 is connected for rotation with a shaft 86, the left-handend of which is connected to drive means (not shown). The drive means isan indexing type, such as a geneva pinion drive or the like and thewheel 22 is rapidly indexed through 90 after which the wheel 22 remainsstationary for relatively long periods between successive indexings. Theperiphery of the wheel 22 has a plurality of arcuate cut-out sections ornotches 88, which cooperate with a wheel 90 mounted on an arm 91rotatable on a shaft 92. The wheel 90 is urged against the wheel 22 bymeans of a spring 94, connected between the arm 91 and the frame of themachine. The wheel 90 has the same diameter as the notches 88, so thatit fits into the notches as they pass under the wheel 90. The wheel 90is adapted to accurately index the wheel 22, by urging the wheel in onedirection or the other until it is firmly engaged in one of the notches88. The shaft 92 is supported in fixed relation to a frame member 96.The face of the wheel 22 is provided with four cam'members 97, whichinterconnect the tab 79 of each carton-gripping section, with the tab 82of the adjacent carton-gripping section. The forward end of each of thecam members 97 is beveled, as shown in FIG. 2. The cam members 97restrain the partially erected cartons 18 on the belt 66 until they canbe received one at a time, in the carton-gripping section.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, three arcuate guide members 98, 99 and 100 aremounted in fixed relation on a vertical supporting beam 102 which inturn is fixed to an L- shaped bar 104 connected with the frame of themachine. The guide members 98-100 are spaced outwardly slightly from theface of the wheel 22, and have their ends bent slightly outwardly awayfrom the wheel 22. The three guide members 98-100 define a plane spacedoutwardly from the surface of the wheel 22 by a distance approximatelyequal to the thickness of the fully erected cartons 19, so that thecartons are maintained in fixed position relative to the wheel 22 andare prevented from falling out of the proper position during rotation ofthe wheel 22.

The first of rotation of the wheel 22 brings a carton 19 into a positionin which it is disposed at the bottom of the wheel 22 in downwardlyopening condition as best shown in FIG. 7. As the carton 19 is broughtto its carton-filling position, its closing flap, which is secured tothe side wall of the box which is remote from the wheel 22, is cammedaway from the opening of the box by a cam member 106 (FIG. 6) located ona bracket 130 secured to the frame of the machine. The opening of thecarton is thus unobstructed, and packets may be loaded into the cartonby passing upwardly through its open end.

The packets to be loaded into a carton are maintained in a holdingcompartment 26 supported on the upper surface of the turntable 28. Aplan view of the turntable 28 is illustrated in FIG. 6, where it isillustrated that the holding compartments are defined by verticallyextending members 108-110 secured at their lower ends to the turntable28. The members 108 and l 10 are U-shaped, when seen in plan view as inFIG. 6, and the member 109 is an upwardly extending plane, aligned withthe inner ends of the U-shaped members 108 and 110. Two additionalmembers 111 and 112 extend upwardly from the surface of the turntable 28in order to define, with the outer ends of the members 108 and 110, anouter vertical plane which is the outer extremity of the holdingcompartment 26.

A plurality of notches are provided in the turntable 28 in alignmentwith each holding compartment 26. A notch 114 is centrally aligned andextends to the lower end of the member 109, between the upwardlyextending members 111 and 112. Two additional notches 115 and 116 areprovided on opposite sides of, and spaced from, the notch 114, and theyare located respectively between the members 108 and 111 and between themembers 110 and 112. Accordingly, the notches 114-116 provide openpassageways permitting the free movement of fingers from below theturntable 28 upwardly through the holding compartment 26. Such fingersdefine an elevator 120 which is adapted for raising a stack of packetsmaintained in position within the holding compartment 26 into positionwithin the carton 19. The elevator 120 is illustrated in plan view inFIG. 6 and a side view, partly in cross-section, is shown in FIG. 7. Aside view is also shown in FIG. 2. It incorporates a set of threefingers 121, 122, and 123 which are adapted to pass through the notches114-116, respectively, for raising a stack of packets 41 containedwithin the holding compartment 26. The fingers 121-123 are joined by aconnecting bar 126 which has a vertical aperture adapted to receive aguide bar 128 secured to the frame of the machine by means of thebracket 130 (FIG. 2).

The central finger 121 of the elevator is secured to a rod 132 which isconnected with a piston interiorly of a cylinder 134 (FIG. 7). Thecylinder 134 is operated by pneumatic or hydraulic means in order toraise the elevator 120, when desired, and to retract it to a positionbelow the turntable 28. In FIG. 7 the elevated position of the elevator120 is illustrated in full line, partly in cross-section, and theretracted position of the elevator is illustrated in dashed lines, belowthe level of the lower surface of the turntable 28. The cylinder 134 ismounted in fixed relation to a frame member 136 which is supported (bymeans not shown) below the level of the turntable 28.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the elevated position of the elevator 120 isadapted to place the packets 41 well within the interior of the carton19. The carton 19 is prevented from moving upwardly relative to thewheel 22 by the tab 83, which limits the maximum inward movement of thecarton. While the elevator 120 is in its upper position, a pair ofholding fingers 138 and 140, mounted on the wheel 22, are extended intoposition below the packets 41, preventing their withdrawal from thecarton 19 when the elevator 120 is lowered.

FIG. illustrates the manner in which the holding fingers 138 and 140 aremounted in fixed relation to the wheel 22. A block 142 is secured to therear surface of the wheel 22, i.e., the surface facing away from thecartons gripped thereby, and a further block 144 is secured to the block142. The blocks 142 and 144 are each provided with aligned apertures forreceiving the holding fingers 138 and 140, which are joined at theirrearward ends by means of a connecting link 146. The mid-portion of theconnecting link 146 is connected to a guide rod 148, which extendsthrough aligned apertures in the blocks 142 and 144. The aperture in theblock 144 is larger in diameter than that of the block 142, in order toaccommodate a spring 150, which surrounds the rod 148 between the link146 and the outer surface of the block 142, and serves to urge the link146 as well as the fingers 138 and 140 outwardly, relative to the wheel22. A latch arm 152 is rotatable mounted on a shaft 154, secured to theblock 144, and has a hook portion adapted to engage a portion of thelink 146 to maintain the fingers 138 and 140 in extended condition asillustrated in FIG. 5. The latch arm 152 has an extended portion 156which is effective to release the latch by moving the latch arm 152 awayfrom the link 146, permitting the spring 150 to expand, and retractingthe holding fingers 138 and 140 from the position illustrated in FIG. 5.The holding fingers 138 and 140 are in retracted position when thepackets 41 are raised into position within the carton 19, and are thenextended into position below the packets 41 by means of a cylinder 160(FIG. 2) which is operated to move its piston leftwardly against thelink 146, thereby pushing the fingers 138 and 140 into position belowthe open end of the carton 19 and latching the latch arm 152 against thelink 146 to hold the holding fingers 138 and 140 in position untilreleased.

After the carton 19 has been loaded with a predetermined number ofpackets, and the fingers 138 and 140 have been extended by operation ofthe cylinder 160, the wheel 22 is indexed 90 to bring a new carton 19 tothe loading station, simultaneously inserting a new partially erectedcarton 18 into the carton-gripping section provided therefor adjacentthe conveyor 20.

The position reached by 90 of rotation of the wheel 22 from thecarton-filling position is one in which no operation takes place, andthe carton is merely held in position, while the following carton isbeing loaded. Following this, the wheel 22 indexes another 90, bringingthe carton to the top of the wheel 22, in upwardly opening position.Just before this position is reached,

the extended portion 156 of the latch arm 152 engages a roller 164,mounted on a bracket 166 secured to the frame of the machine, and thelatch arm 156 is lifted upwardly as it passes over the roller 164. Therelative position of these parts is shown in FIG. 4just before theextended portion 156 of the latch arm I52 engages the roller 164. As thelatch arm 152 is cammed upwardly, the link 146 is released, and thespring forces the link 146 away from the block 144, thus withdrawing theholding fingers 138 and 140 from alignment with the carton. Theengagement of the extended portion of the latch arm 152 with the roller164 occurs just before the wheel 22 reaches its stationary position,with a carton in carton-ejecting position. When that position isreached, the wheel 22 stops, and the carton is ejected by means of thecylinder 32, mounted by a bracket 170 to the frame of the machine. Thecylinder 32 has a piston connected with a rod 172 which in turn isconnected at its distal end with a pusher member 30. The upper end ofthe pusher member is connected to a rod 176 which is slidably disposedin a tube 178 secured to the frame of the machine, which serves to guidethe pusher member 30 for reciprocal movement as the cylinder 32 isactuated.

The wheel 22 is provided with a U-shaped cut-out portion 180, alignedwith each carton-gripping section. The pusher member 30 is alsoU-shaped, and a frontelevational view of the pusher member isillustrated in FIG. 3, where it is shown aligned with the cartonejectingposition at the top of the wheel 22. As the cylinder 32 is operated topush the pusher member 30 through the aperture 180, the carton held atthis position on the wheel 22 is ejected therefrom onto an inclinedsurface 184.

The tab member 83 is formed with an L-shaped cross-section, as bestillustrated in FIG. 4, so that the carton is free to drop downwardlyslightly as soon as it clears the upper portion of the tab 83, whichnormally engages the end panel of the carton. The bottom leg of theLshaped cross-section of the tab 83 supports the lower rearward edge ofthe carton as it is ejected from position on the wheel 22.

As the carton is pushed onto the inclined surface 184, opposite sidesthereof are engaged by four spring members 186, which are supported onthe surface 184 and interconnected in two pairs by means of rods 188.Two of the spring members 186 are illustrated in FIG. 4, and the othertwo are located immediately behind the spring members which are shown.The opposed spring members 186 are spaced apart by approximately thewidth of the carton, so that as the carton is ejected from the wheel 22by being pushed therefrom by the pusher member 30, the spring members186 frictionally engage the edges of the carton, and maintain it inposition, preventing it from falling backwardly against the wheel 22.The pusher member 30 is pushed far enough forwardly by the cylinder 32so as to enable the ejected carton to clear the moving parts of thewheel 22, so that the cartons once on the inclined surface 184 are freeof the wheel 22 and are not damaged by movement thereof.

The position of the L-shaped cross-section of the tab 83, and theinclined surface 184, together cooperate to align the bottom surfaces ofthe ejected cartons, even though they are gripped by the spring members186, so that a plurality of cartons successively ejected from the wheel22 by the pusher member 30 have aligned upper and lower surfaces. Theside surfaces are also aligned, by virtue of their passing between thespring members As illustrated in FIG. 1, the staging platform 34 isjuxtaposed with the inclined plane 184, so that cartons which are pushedup the inclined plane 184 and onto the staging platform 34 are assembledthere into a group after which the entire group is moved forwardly ontothe platform 40 by operation of the cylinder 38 and the pusher member36.

The manner in which the packets 41 are loaded into the holdingcompartments 26 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, thepackets 41 arrive on a conveyor 44, which is of the chain-link type,being composed of a plurality of interconnected links forming a chain190. A second chain is disposed in parallel spaced relation with thechain 190 and the packets 41 are supported on two chains in sectionswhich are defined and separated by bars 192 interconnected be tweenlinks of the two chains and operating to push the packets 41 forwardlywhen necessary. The transfer wheel 46 is aligned with its notches 47 inposition to receive packets while they are carried by the chains 190.The transfer wheel 46 is rotated continuously, at a speed which bringseach of the notches 47 into alignment with the space above the chain 190at the proper time to receive a packet 41 firmly wedged into the notch47. As shown in FIG. 9, the notch 47a is in line with the chain 190 andis receiving a packet 41a, the packet being urged firmly into the notch47a by the member 192a carried on the chain 190 immediately behind thepacket. All of the packets 41 carried by the chain 190 are handled in asimilar fashion, so that the packets are transferred one by one into thenotches 47 of the transfer wheel 46. The transfer wheel 46 carries themin a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9, bringing them intoposition relative to assembler wheel 48.

The assembler wheel 48 comprises a pair of sprockets 194 for supportinga pair of chains 196. The chains 196 and sprockets 194 are inside-by-side relation, so only one set can be seen in FIG. 9. The chains196 each pass around a sprocket 194, and over a pair of idler sprockets198 and 200, mounted on shafts secured to the frame of the machine belowthe sprocket 194, and then back around the sprocket 194 is a closedloop. The portion of each chain 196 which lies between the sprocket 194and idler sprocket 198 is aligned in substantially a vertical direction,but departs slightly from the vertical, in order to enable the fingers50 to be retracted from the stripping assembly 52. The fingers 50, whichare mounted on the two chains 196 at side-byside locations, definecompartments of the assembler wheel 48 in which a predetermined numberof the packets 41 are temporarily supported. The packets 41 aretransferred from the transfer wheel 46 to the assembler wheel 48 becauseof the intersecting arrangement of the two wheels. The packets 41 arecarried by the notches 47 until they are stripped from the notches 47 byengaging the chains 196.

At a position immediately clockwise from each of the notches 47 aportion 197 having an inclined cam surface is adapted to cam the packets41 outwardly relative to the transfer wheel 46 immediately afterdepositing the same on the assembler wheel 48, thereby camming thepackages away from the following notch 47 of the transfer wheel andmaking room for insertion of the next packet into the same compartmentof the assembler wheel 48. The relative speeds of rotation of thetransfer wheel 46 and the assembler wheel 48 are regulated in such a waythat the packets 41 are accumulated in closely spaced relationship onthe assembler wheel 48, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The speed of theassembler wheel 48 is adjusted so that when the fingers 50 pass throughthe area which is proximate to the transfer wheel 46, where they mightinterfere with incoming packets 41, the speed of the assembler wheel 48is increased so as to rapidly move the fingers 50 past this point beforethe next packet 41 arrives at the assembler wheel. This is accomplishedby a special drive means provided for the assembler wheel 48, which isdescribed in more detail hereinafter.

The fingers 50 are spaced apart by equal distances on the chains 196, sothat the same predetermined number of packets are assembled into eachperipheral compartment of the assembler wheel 48, defined by twoadjacent fingers 50. This is the same predetermined number of packetswhich is placed into the holding compartments 26, and later loaded intothe carton 19. The packets are placed in a holding compartment 26 whichis located directly under the periphery of the assembler wheel 48, and astripping assembly 52 is provided for guiding the packets from theassembler wheel 48 into position within the holding compartment 26. Theplunger 54 is provided in alignment with the holding compartment 26 andat the loading position, at a time just before the packets are insertedinto the holding compartment 26, the plunger 54 is in its uppermostposition, as illustrated in FIG. 9.

The packets 41 carried by the chains 196 are supported by the fingers 50as they enter the upper portion of the stripping assembly 52, but thenthe fingers 50 are gradually withdrawn from within the interior of thestripping assembly 52, so that the stack of packets within the lowersection of the stripping assembly 52 is supported less and less by theunderlying fingers 50 of the chains 196. Eventually, as the fingers 50near the sprocket 198, the packets 41 cease to be supported by thefingers 50, and they are then permitted to drop downwardly, coming torest on the upper surface of the fingers of the plunger 54. The plunger54 is constructed in the identical manner as described above withreference to the elevator 120, and is adapted to be raised and loweredby a cylinder (not shown) which is identical to the cylinder 134.

As soon-as the packets 41 drop to the plunger 54, the plunger is quicklylowered to a position beneath the surface of the turntable 28. When theplunger 54 has been retracted to a position below the surface of theturntable 28, it does not interfere with rotation of the turntable 28,and the latter may then be indexed bringing each of the holdingcompartments 26, which are loaded in the loading position of theturntable, to the unloading station 24, at which they are inserted intothe carton 19 in the manner described above.

The sprockets 194 are interconnected for rotation by a shaft 210, towhich an additional sprocket 212 is connected. A chain 214 surrounds thesprockets 212 and a driving sprocket 215 is secured to the shaft onwhich the transfer wheel 46 is driven. An arm 216 is mounted forrotation on the shaft 210, and at its distal end a sprocket 218 issupported which engages the outer side of the chain 214. The sprocket218 is urged downwardly by means of a spring 220, which forces the arm216 downwardly in a clockwise direction as viewed in F lG. 9; Thetension on the chain 214 is thus controlled by the spring 220. Thesprocket 215 is secured to the same shaft as a sprocket 222, which isdriven by a chain 224. The chain 224 is driven by a conventional drivemeans (not shown) and passes around sprockets 226 and 228 between thesprocket 222 and the drive means. The sprocket 228 rotates a shaft 230,on which is mounted another sprocket 232, which drives a chain 234passing around the sprocket 236. The sprocket 236 is connected to thesame shaft which supports a sprocket 237, which drives the chain 190 ofthe conveyor 44. In this way, the speed of the conveyor 44 and the speedof the transfer wheel 46 are fixed in relation to each other.

An idler sprocket 238 is mounted on one end of an arm 240, the other endof which is supported for rotation on a shaft 242. The arm 240 is urgedby spring means (not shown) into association with the chain 224 tomaintain the latter under tension. Similarly, a sprocket 244 is providedon the end of an arm 246 mounted for rotation on a shaft 248. The arm246 is urged by spring means (not shown) in a clockwise direction tomaintain tension on the chain 234.

Although the sprocket 215 is driven at a constant angular velocity, theshaft 210, on which the sprockets 194 are mounted, is driven in cyclesincluding an interval of relatively high angular velocity and aninterval of relatively low angular velocity. The intervals of relativelyhigh angular velocity correspond to the movement of the fingers 50 pastthe point of intersection with the transfer wheel 46, so that no packetsstrike the fingers 50. The period between the intervals of relativelyhigh angular velocity are used to advantage in effecting a transfer ofpackets into a holding compartment 26. The relatively low velocityperiods occur between successive periods of relatively high velocity,and allow the turntable 28 to index to its next position before the nextseries of packages are transferred by the stripping assembly 52 into thecompartment 26. This cyclical operation, which is performed in timedsequence with the movement of the fingers 50, is carried out bymanipulating the chain 214 in a manner which will now be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic illustration of the manner in which the chain214 is supported by the sprockets 212 and 215. Adjacent the lower reachof the chain 214 between these two supporting sprockets, a cam 250 ismounted for rotation on a shaft 252 secured to the frame of the machine.The shaft 252 has a sprocket 254 mounted thereon, which is driven by achain 256 which surrounds the sprockets 254 and a driving sprocket 258,mounted on the shaft which supports the sprockets 215 and 222. The cam250 is therefore rotated in timed sequence with the rotation of thetransfer wheel 46. The cam 250 supports two cam wheels 260 and 262, eachof which are rotatable relative to the cam 250, and which comprisesprockets adapted to engage the chain 214.

The cam 250 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, and the axes of thecam wheels 260 and 262 traverse a circle indicated in FlG. 10 by thereference numeral 264. As the cam 250 rotates, the cam wheels 260 and262 are successively brought into engagement with the chain 214, andthen successively retracted from engagement therewith. During the periodthat they are out of engagement with the chain 214, the lower reach ofthe chain 214 follows a straight path interconnecting the lower portionof the sprockets 212 and 215. The slack in the upper reach of the chain214 is taken up by the sprocket 218, which is urged downwardly.

As the cam 250 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the wheel 260first engages the chain 214, and begins forcing it upwardly, forcing thesprocket 218 to move in the counterclockwise direction by rotation ofthe arm 216 about the shaft 210. This brings about a net reduction inthe length of the chain in the upper reach thereof and an increase inthe length of chain in the lower reach, between the sprockets 212 and215. This forces the sprocket 212 to rotate at a higher angularvelocity, in order to feed chain from the upper reach around thesprocket 212 to the lower reach. As the cam 250 continues to rotate, thelength of chain in the lower reach increases to a maximum, and the upperreach of the chain becomes substantially straight between the sprockets212 and 215. This condition of the chain, illustrated in dashed lines inFIG. 10, corresponds to the chain position at the time when the maximumacceleration portion of the cycle has just been completed.

As the cam 250 continues its counterclockwise rota tion, the cam wheels260 and 262 are gradually withdrawn from contact with the chain 214,thus allowing a greater portion of the chain to be returned to the upperreach. This causes the sprocket 212 to rotate at a lesser angularvelocity, in order to accumulate chain in the upper reach. This increaseand decrease in angular velocity, relative to a mean value, issymmetrical, so that each cycle of operation includes a first period ofincreased angular velocity, a second period of decreased angularvelocity, and a third period of mean or average angular velocity, afterwhich the first period of the cycle is repeated, etc.

The machine which has been specifically described herein is ideallysuited for use with packets of the type such as are commonly used topackage individual portions of condiments, such as sugar and the like.Such packets are conventionally formed in connected pairs of packets, asbest illustrated in FIG. 2. The packets may be loaded into the cartons19 in pairs, just as they arrive on the incoming conveyor, in order toform one stack of paired packets; or, the packets may be separated bymeans of a slicer while they are -in position within one of the holdingcompartments 26. A slicer is indicated in phantom form in FIG. 2. Theslicer includes a blade 270 carried by a carrier member 272 adapted tomove vertically by movement of an actuator rod 274. The blade 270extends into the slot 114 of a holding compartment 26, which slot iscentrally located, so that passing the blade 270 downwardly throughoutthe entire compartment 26 functions to slice each and every one of thedouble packets 41 into two component parts, the packets then beingarranged in the carton into which they are loadedinto two separatestacks.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the turntable 28 has eight stations, only twoof which are required for loading and unloading the packets into and outof the compartments 26. An intermediate station between the loading andunloading stations is the one which is perferably provided with aslicer, so that the slicing operation takes place after loading of thepackets into a compartment 26, but before they are unloaded into thecartons.

Another station of the turntable 28, between the loading and unloadingstations, is provided for compressing the stack of packets 41 as theyare held in a holding compartment 26. In FIG. 1, the compressing station272 is shown at the right-hand side of the drawing, employing a holdingcompartment 26 which is adjacent the one being loaded with packets fromthe stripping assembly 52. A vibrator 274 is supported on the frame ofthe machine (by means not shown). and has a member 276 secured theretoby an arm 278. The member 276 is sized to enter the holding compartment26 by being lowered thereinto, the arm 278 being received in the slot114. The agitation transmitted to the stack by the member 276, from thevibrator 274, results in a substantial reduction in the height of thestack, so that a much smaller carton 19 is required to accommodate agiven number of packets. The vibrator 274 and the member 276 are raisedwhen the compressing is complete, so as to clear the top of the holdingcompartment 26 before the turntable 28 is rotated again.

It is apparent that the packets handled by the present invention areloaded efficiently and rapidly into the cartons, without the need forany manual intervention except to remove the loaded cartons from thestaging platform where they are ejected in rapid succession after beingfilled. While the present invention has been described specifically inrelation to a machine for filling specific cartons with specific typesof packets, it should be understood that the principles of the presentinvention are equally applicable to other types of packaging machines.

Referring to FIG. 11, a stack of packets is shown in position within acompartment 26, prior to being inserted into one of the cartons 19. Thevibrator head 276 rests on top of the stack of packets, while a vibratorbase member 282 projects upwardly through the bottom of the compartment26 to engage the lower surface of the bottom most packet 41 in thestack. The head 276 and the base member'282 are vibrated by means of avibrator motor 284 mounted on an arm 288.

The arm 288 extends radially inwardly toward the turntable 28 and isconnected to another arm 290. The base member 282 is mounted on the arm290, which is pivotally supported at its remote end by a horizontalshaft 292. A spring 294 urges the arms 288 and 290 upwardly. Thevibration caused by the vibrating motor 284 is transmitted to the bottomof the stack by way of the arms 288 and 290. Similarly, the head 276,which rests on the top of the stack of packets, is vibrated through thestack. The head 276 is mounted on an arm 281 which is pivotallysupported on a shaft 277, which is mounted on a bracket 286 secured tothe fixed frame member 136.

At the beginning of the vibrating operation, the stack is relativelyhigh, and the head 276 assumes an elevated position, shown in dashedlines in FIG. 11. During vibration, the height of the stack decreases,and the arm 281 rotates in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 11)about the shaft 277. When the arm 281 has been rotated to the positionillustrated in FIG. 11, it engages the operating member of a valve 298,which opens a switch (not shown) in the circuit which supplieselectrical power to the vibrator motor 284. Accordingly, the vibrationstops when the height of the stack of packets has been reduced to apredetermined level.

After vibration ceases, the head 276 and the base member 282 arewithdrawn from engagement with the stack in the following manner. Thearm 290 has a cam follower 300 connected thereto, which extendshorizontally from the arm 290. A cam 302 is secured to a vertical shaft304, and the cam 302 forces the arm 290 downwardly, via the cam follower300, when the shaft 304 is rotated. When vibration ceases, the shaft 304is rotated by forcing the arm 290 downwardly and lowering the arm 288.The arms 288 and 290 pivot in a counterclockwise direction about theshaft 292.

A link 310 is pivotally secured at its lower end to the end of the arm288 by a pin 312, and supports a stud 314 at its upper end which bearsagainst the upper surface of the end of the arm 281 disposed on theopposite side of the shaft 277 from the head 276. Accordingly, the arm281 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction in response to rotationof the cam 302, and the head 276 is rotated upwardly to a position freeof the compartment 26. As the arm 281 rotates in a counterclockwisedirection, the actuator arm 318 of a switch 316 is engaged, which switchserves to close the electrical circuit to the turntable drive, thuspreventing operation of the drive while the head 276 is in a loweredposition.

stack, and the hammer head 276 is simultaneously lowered into engagementwith the top of the stack.

The vibrator assembly illustrated in FIG. 11 assures that the stack ofpackets is as compact as possible, so that the minimum size carton isrequired.

What is claimed is:

1. Packet cartoning apparatus comprising,

a continuously moving horizontal conveyor having a discharge end,

a continuously moving transfer wheel rotatable about a horizontal axisand having its periphery at the discharge end of said conveyor,

said transfer wheel having compartments spaced around its periphery toreceive individual packets,

a continuously moving assembly conveyor adjacent the periphery of saidtransfer wheel and presenting a series of assembly compartments movingpast said transfer wheel, each compartment adapted to receive apredetermined number of packets from said transfer wheel,

a holding conveyor below said assembly conveyor and having a pluralityof vertical holding compartments,

means for guiding said predetermined number of packets from each saidassembly compartment to said holding compartment,

and means for raising said packets out of said compartments and intocanons.

2. Packet cartoning apparatus as in claim 1 in which said horizontalconveyor comprises,

an endless chain, said chain having outwardly spaced lugs along thelength of the chain, each said lug being engageable with a packet andeffecting the transfer of the packet into a respective compartment ofsaid transfer wheel.

3. Packet cartoning apparatus as in claim 1 in which said transfer wheelincludes two axially spaced flanges around the periphery of the wheel,said flanges having peripheral notches to form said transfer wheelcompartments. v

4. Packet cartoning apparatus according to claim 3 in which saidhorizontal conveyor and said assembly conveyor project within theconfines of flanges of said transfer wheel to effect the transfer fromsaid horizontal conveyor to said transfer wheel and thereafter from saidtransfer wheel to said assembly conveyor.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said assembly conveyorcomprises,

a chain,

sprockets supporting said chain for passage adjacent said transferwheel,

said chain having outwardly projecting lugs spaced along the length ofsaid chain, the spacing between adjacent lugs forming said compartmentseach to receive a predetermined number of packets.

6. Apparatus for cartoning packets as in claim 5 in which said guidingmeans comprises a sleeve having an arcuate upper portion and a verticallower portion,

said arcuate upper portion being juxtaposed with said assembly conveyorand adapted to surround a portion of said assembly conveyor,

said sleeve being adapted to engage the inner edges of said packets toforce them outwardly relative to said assembly conveyor, thereby guidingsaid group of packets as they are withdrawn from their respectivecompartments until they are free to fall downwardly into a respectiveholding compartment.

7. Apparatus for cartoning packets comprising,

a horizontal turntable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis,

a plurality of vertical holding compartments spaced around saidturntable,

a loading station adjacent said turntable,

means for loading a stack of packets into each said compartment at saidloading station,

a cartoning station adjacent said turntable for transferring packetsfrom said compartments into cartons,

said cartoning station comprising:

a vertical register wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axisat said cartoning station,

said register wheel having means for holding a carton with an open endfacing downwardly over a holding compartment,

means for engaging the bottom of the stack of packets in said holdingcompartment and raising the stack into a carton,

said register wheel carrying reciprocating means for projecting acrossthe open end of a carton after it has been filled.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising,

an ejecting station adjacent said register wheel,

said ejecting station including a plunger adapted to engage each cartonto remove it from its holding means.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said holding compartments eachcomprise a sleeve mounted on said turntable and extending upwardlytherefrom in a generally vertical direction,

said sleeve having a vertical slot disposed in one side thereof alignedwith the slot disposed in said turntable,

said stack raising means comprising a member extending through said slotand into said sleeve and fluid pressure means for alternately raisingand lowering said stack raising means from a position below saidturntable to a position in which said stack is inserted in said carton.

10. Apparatus according to claim 7 in which said carton holding meanscomprises,

a plurality of tabs extending in a generally horizontal direction fromsaid register wheel and spaced apart to define a carton receivingsection, whereby a carton may be received between said tabs andfrictionally gripped thereby for retaining a carton in position on saidregister wheel.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprisvibrating means tovibrate the packets in said holding compartment to reduce the height ofsaid stack before said stack is transferred into a carton.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said items are transferredinto said holding compartment in a vertical stack, and including meansfor placing a first vibrating member adjacent the top of said stack,placing a second vibrating member adjacent the bottom of said stack, toreduce the height of said stack before said stack is transferred intosaid carton, and means for mounting said first vibrating member forvertical movement so that said first vibrating member remains in contactwith the top of said stack as said stack is reduced in height.

13. Apparatus according to claim 7 including a conveyor for conveying asuccession of partially erected carton blanks toward saidcarton-receiving section of said register wheel, said conveyorcomprising a belt conveyor and including a roller juxtaposed with thelower rear edge of one of said partially erected cartons when suchcarton is in position within said cartonreceiving section, said rollerbeing spaced from the surface of said wheel by a distance approximatelyequal to the thickness of one of said cartons, whereby a carton is urgedfirmly into position relative to said wheel as said wheel rotates aboutsits horizontal axis.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said cartons are insertedinto said carton-receiving section in a condition in which the closingflap of said carton is hinged to said carton at a position spaced fromthe surface of said register wheel and extends radially outwardly fromsaid wheel, and including cam means adapted to engage said closing flapand to cam it away from the opening of said carton as said registerwheel is rotated.

15. Apparatus according to claim 8 including an inclined surface alignedbelow a carton at said cartonejecting station to receive the lower edgeof said carton when it is ejected from said register wheel and to gudieit upwardly onto a staging platform.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15 including a pair of resilientmembers adapted to engage the side panels of an ejected carton as it isejected from said register wheel.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16 including a second pusher memberadapted for movement in a direction generally transverse to saidejecting pusher member, said second pusher member being adapted formoving a plurality of said cartons from said staging platform in adirection transverse to the direction of movement of said cartons fromsaid inclined plane to said staging platform.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent: No.3,854,270 Dated December 17, 1974 lnventofls) Donn Allan Hartman andCharles E. Cloud It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Assignee on the face, of the patent; should be R. A. Jones & Co. Inc.COVingbOIMQKY,

Col. 4, line 25, delete 62 82-,

Col. 4, line 26, delete tend s into th e space above the inclined plane16 under- Col. 4, line 27, delete neath Col. 9,. line 46, change "is" toin Signed and sealed this l th day of March 1975.

(SEAL) Attest: I

MARSHALL DA-NN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 1and Trademarks USCOMM-DC 00376-P69 I u I. unvumnmr "mum; nrnc: nuo-.\n-.ul

FORM PO-IOSO (IO-69)

1. Packet cartoning apparatus comprising, a continuously movinghorizontal conveyor having a discharge end, a continuously movingtransfer wheel rotatable about a horizontal axis and having itsperiphery at the discharge end of said conveyor, said transfer wheelhaving compartments spaced around its periphery to receive individualpackets, a continuously moving assembly conveyor adjacent the peripheryof said transfer wheel and presenting a series of assembly compartmentsmoving past said transfer wheel, each compartment adapted to receive apredetermined number of packets from said transfer wheel, a holdingconveyor below said assembly conveyor and having a plurality of verticalholding compartments, means for guiding said predetermined number ofpackets from each said assembly compartment to said holding compartment,and means for raising said packets out of said compartments and intocartons.
 2. Packet cartoning apparatus as in claim 1 in which saidhorizontal conveyor comprises, an endless chain, said chain havingoutwardly spaced lugs along the length of the chain, each said lug beingengageable with a packet and effecting the transfer of the packet into arespective compartment of said transfer wheel.
 3. Packet cartoningapparatus as in claim 1 in which said transfer wheel includes twoaxially spaced flanges around the periphery of the wheel, said flangeshaving peripheral notches to form said transfer wheel compartments. 4.Packet cartoning apparatus according to claim 3 in which said horizontalconveyor and said assembly conveyor project within the confines offlanges of said transfer wheel to effect the transfer from saidhorizontal conveyor to said transfer wheel and thereafter from saidtransfer wheel to said assembly conveyor.
 5. Apparatus according toclaim 1 in which said assembly conveyor comprises, a chain, sprocketssupporting said chain for passage adjacent said transfer wheel, saidchain having outwardly projecting lugs spaced along the length of saidchain, the spacing between adjacent lugs forming said compartments eachto receive a predetermined number of packets.
 6. Apparatus for cartoningpackets as in claim 5 in which said guiding means comprises a sleevehaving an arcuate upper portion and a vertical lower portion, saidarcuate upper portion being juxtaposed with said assembly conveyor andadapted to surround a portion of said assembly conveyor, said sleevebeing adapted to engage the inner edges of said packets to force themoutwardly relative to said assembly conveyor, thereby guiding said groupof packets as they are withdrawn from their respective compartmentsuntil they are free to fall downwardly into a respective holdingcompartment.
 7. Apparatus for cartoning packets comprising, a horizontalturntable mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, a plurality ofvertical holding compartments spaced around said turntable, a loadingstation adjacent said turntable, means for loading a stack of packetsinto each said compartment at said loading station, a cartoning stationadjacent said turntable for transferring packets from said compartmentsinto cartons, said cartoning station comprising: a vertical registerwheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis at said cartoningstation, said register wheel having means for holding a carton with anopen end facing downwardly over a holding compartment, means forengaging the bottom of the stack of packets in said holding compartmentand raising the stack into a carton, said register wheel carryingreciprocating means for prOjecting across the open end of a carton afterit has been filled.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising, anejecting station adjacent said register wheel, said ejecting stationincluding a plunger adapted to engage each carton to remove it from itsholding means.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said holdingcompartments each comprise a sleeve mounted on said turntable andextending upwardly therefrom in a generally vertical direction, saidsleeve having a vertical slot disposed in one side thereof aligned withthe slot disposed in said turntable, said stack raising means comprisinga member extending through said slot and into said sleeve and fluidpressure means for alternately raising and lowering said stack raisingmeans from a position below said turntable to a position in which saidstack is inserted in said carton.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 7 inwhich said carton holding means comprises, a plurality of tabs extendingin a generally horizontal direction from said register wheel and spacedapart to define a carton receiving section, whereby a carton may bereceived between said tabs and frictionally gripped thereby forretaining a carton in position on said register wheel.
 11. Apparatusaccording to claim 1 further comprising, vibrating means to vibrate thepackets in said holding compartment to reduce the height of said stackbefore said stack is transferred into a carton.
 12. Apparatus accordingto claim 11, wherein said items are transferred into said holdingcompartment in a vertical stack, and including means for placing a firstvibrating member adjacent the top of said stack, placing a secondvibrating member adjacent the bottom of said stack, to reduce the heightof said stack before said stack is transferred into said carton, andmeans for mounting said first vibrating member for vertical movement sothat said first vibrating member remains in contact with the top of saidstack as said stack is reduced in height.
 13. Apparatus according toclaim 7 including a conveyor for conveying a succession of partiallyerected carton blanks toward said carton-receiving section of saidregister wheel, said conveyor comprising a belt conveyor and including aroller juxtaposed with the lower rear edge of one of said partiallyerected cartons when such carton is in position within saidcarton-receiving section, said roller being spaced from the surface ofsaid wheel by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of one ofsaid cartons, whereby a carton is urged firmly into position relative tosaid wheel as said wheel rotates abouts its horizontal axis. 14.Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said cartons are inserted intosaid carton-receiving section in a condition in which the closing flapof said carton is hinged to said carton at a position spaced from thesurface of said register wheel and extends radially outwardly from saidwheel, and including cam means adapted to engage said closing flap andto cam it away from the opening of said carton as said register wheel isrotated.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 8 including an inclinedsurface aligned below a carton at said carton-ejecting station toreceive the lower edge of said carton when it is ejected from saidregister wheel and to gudie it upwardly onto a staging platform. 16.Apparatus according to claim 15 including a pair of resilient membersadapted to engage the side panels of an ejected carton as it is ejectedfrom said register wheel.
 17. Apparatus according to claim 16 includinga second pusher member adapted for movement in a direction generallytransverse to said ejecting pusher member, said second pusher memberbeing adapted for moving a plurality of said cartons from said stagingplatform in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of saidcartons from said inclined plane to said staging platform.